Dredger with adjustable endless digger and rotary mud slinger

ABSTRACT

A self-contained mud excavating apparatus comprising a floatable hull having an endless scoop type dredging conveyor adjustably mounted upon its bow. A hopper is mounted on the deck of the hull for receiving the dredged material. A mud slinger is located in the hopper and picks up the dredged material and throws it sidewise away from the hull. Rails mounted on the sides of the hull carry roller-mounted frames equipped with spuds for use in anchoring and maneuvering the hull.

United States atet 11 1 1111 3,874,101 Cummins Apr. 1, 1975 [54] DREDGERWITH ADJUSTABLE ENDLESS 688,912 12/1901 Watts 198/44 DIGGER AND ROTARYMUD SLINGER 2383957 4/1959 3,003,454 10/1961 Shatoska 37/73 X Inventor:Oliver rank Cummins, 1208 3,372,818 3/1968 Seymour et a1 198/128 xKiplino Ave., lslington, Ontario, 3,596,384 8/1971 Neujahr 198/128 XCanada 3,618,236 11/1971 Pipkin 37/65 X [22] Flled: 1974 PrimaryExaminer-Clifford D. Crowder [21] Appl. No.1 438,367

[57] ABSTRACT 52 us. c1 37/69, 37/73, 198/44, Self-Contained mudexcavating apparatus Compris- 198/64, 198/128 ing a floatable hullhaving an endless scoop type 51 1111.121. E021 3/14, E021" 9/04 dredgingConveyor adiustably mounted upon its [58] Field of Search, 37/69, 73,62, 63, 64, A hopper is mounted on the deck of the hull for 37/65,198/44 47, 64, 114/42 ceiving the dredged material. A mud slinger islocated in the hopper and picks up the dredged material and 5 ReferencesCited throws it sidewise away from the hull. Rails mounted UNITED STATESPATENTS on the sides of the hull carry roller-mounted frames equippedwith spuds for use in anchoring and maneu- 104,980 7/1870 M1tchel1 37/69vering the hull. 261,587 7/1882 Cram 37/73 498,143 5/1893 Urie 37/69 6Claims, 3 Drawing Figures ATENTEB APR SHEET 2 OF 2 DREDGER WITHADJUSTABLE ENDLESS DIGGER AND ROTARY MUD SLINGER This invention relatesgenerally to apparatus adapted to dredge channels in marshy areas, or toclear and/or deepen existing channels or canals in marshy orwatercovered areas where travel by wheeled or track vehicles is notpossible.

Most conventional apparatus intended to clear existing channels or dig*new" irrigation canals suffers from one or more of the followingdisadvantages. Some conventional procedures, such as hydraulic dredging,require the building of dikes for the purpose of disposing of theexcavated material. The building of such dikes is rather costly, and isparticularly unsuitable in marshy areas. Machines which require firmground support, for example the dragline, become simply bogged down inmarshy or watercovered areas. The apparatus known as a dipper dredgerequires a bulldozer to assist in the levelling of excavated material,and in marshy areas this is impossible. The machine known as a ditchingmachine, due to its great weight, cannot be supported by the land in amarshy area, and generally the excavated material cannot be disposed ofwithout additional expensive equipment.

In view of the disadvantages of the abovementioned conventionalapparatus for digging irrigation cannels or clearing existing cannels,it is an object of this invention to provide a floatablechanneldredging, self-powered apparatus which does not require thebuilding of dikes to dispose of excavated material, which does notrequire firm ground support for proper operation, and which does notrequire any bulldozer assistance.

Essentially, the foregoing objects are attained by the provision ofafloatable channel dredger which includes endless-conveyor scoop means toraise excavated material above the water level, a mud slinger" componentwhich is capable of receiving the excavated material l'rom the scoopmeans and throwing it from 60 to 90 feet laterally away from the channelbeing dredged, a power source, and a propelling mechanism by which theapparatus may be manoeuvred, controlled and operated.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings,in which like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views,and in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a channel dredger constructed inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of an optional steadying and drivemechanism which may be provided on the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken at the line 33 in FIG. 2.

Turning first to FIG. I, the apparatus shown generally at is seen toinclude a scow or barge l2 consisting ofa hull 14 having a how 15 and astem 16. On the hull 14 are mounted the following major components: andendless conveyor scoop means 18, a mudslinger 20, a control cab 22, anengine 24, a hydraulic pump 25, and a directional propeller means 26powered from the hydraulic pump 25.

As can be seen, the hull 14 has attached to its bow l5 structuralsupport means 27 including two arms 28 which support a scoop frame 29for longitudinal sliding motion in the direction of the two-headed arrow30. Preferably, the scoop frame 29 is substantially the same width asthe hull l4 and carries two endless chains 32 (only one visible) towhich a plurality of scoops 34 are attached. The scoops 34 are elongatedin the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper, and extendbetween the two chains 32 which are separated in the direction normal tothe plane of the paper. The chains 32 are preferably locatedsubstantially at either side of the hull 14. The chains 32 are entrainedabout suitable sprockets 36 at the upper and lower ends of the scoopframe 29. with the upper sprockets being driven by a hydraulic motor 38.

The scoop frame 29 is mounted for sliding motion as described above bymeans of suitable slideway components (which are conventional and neednot be shown), and the position of the scoop frame 29 with respect tothe hull 14 is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder 40 of which one upperend 41 is secured to the upper arm 28, and of which the lower end 42 issecured to the scoop frame 29. In FIG. 1, the solid line position of thescoop means 18 is its highest, uppermost or withdrawn position. Thedredging position for the scoop means 18 is shown in broken lines 44.

The mudslinger 20 includes a hopper 46 having an internal auger 47 whichgradually moves the mud, etc. in the hopper 46 to a location where itcan enter a centrifugal blower 48, both the auger 47 and the blower 48being located within the hopper 46. The tangential outlet for thecentrigual blower 48 is extended by a vertical pipe 50 which is curvedat the upper end as shown at 52 so that the mud and other debris blownup the pipe 50 is thrown away from the dredge at an upward angle ofabout 45.

The centrifugal blower 48 is powered directly by a drive shaft 52 whichin turn is rotated by the engine 24. The auger 47 can be rotated at aslower speed through conventional reduction gear mechanisms (not shown).

The engine 24 also powers a hydraulic pump 25 which maintains fluidpressure in a conventional pressure tank (not shown) from whichhydraulic lines pass through the usual manual and/or automatic controls,whence further lines pass to the several hydraulic motors utilized inthis apparatus. One such hydraulic motor is located at 54 in thepropeller means 26, and further control devices (conventional and notillustrated) can be operated hydraulically to control the direction ofthe propeller means 26 and thereby steer and propel the hull 14.

A platform 55 is provided on which the control cab 22 is built. Thecontrol cab 22 has a protective roof 56, window area 58, and a controlpanel from which the gasoline engine 24, the hydraulic motors, and thehydraulic cylinder 40 are controlled. A flight of steps 62 leads fromthe deck 64 to the cab 22. A fuel storage tank 65 for the engine 24 canbe located as shown in dotted lines within the hull 14.

At bottom right in FIG. I. the bottom of the ditch being cleared or dugby the apparatus is shown before excavation at 68 and after excavationat 70. The water line is shown at 72a.

Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 3, a portion of the hull 14 is shown in eachfigure, and it can be seen that there has been affixed to the hull atthe side thereof an upper horizontal rail 71, a lower horizontal rail72, and an intermediate rail 74. The intermediate rail 74 is located inapproximately the same plane as the upper edge of the side of the hull14. A frame 76 includes a hollow upright pipe 77. a horizontal arm 78, avertical arm 80 and an oblique arm 82. Three track-following wheels 83,84 and 85 are secured for free rotation to the frame 76, the upperwheels 83 and 84 being captive between the upper and intermediatehorizontal rails 71 and 74, while the lower wheel 85 rides upon thelower horizontal rail 72. Since the pipe 77 is fixedly secured to theframe 76, it will be understood that the pipe 77 is capable ofhorizontal motion in the upright position, longitudinally of the sidesof the hull l4.

Mounted for vertical reciprocation within the pipe 77 is an elongatedmetal spud 86, which is shown in solid lines in its uppermost position,but which is capable of descending to the broken line position whenextended.

To permit the extension and retraction of the spud 86 a hydrauliccylinder 88 is provided, having one end fixed with respect to the spud86 through a bracket 90, and having its other end secured with respectto the frame 76 and the pipe 77. As can be seen, actuation of thecylinder 88 to extend it will lift the bracket 90 upwardly with respectto the frame 76, and will cause upward movement of the spud 86.Conversely, retraction of the cylinder 88 will cause the spud to descendto the broken line position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Naturally, it is understood that another identical spud 86 will bemounted by similar means on the other side of the hull 14.

The spuds are utilized to secure the hull 14 in a fixed position withrespect to the bottom of the ditch being dredged, and can also be usedto move the dredge forward in a walking" operation. It will beunderstood that a cable and winch may be supplied to move the frame 76positively in the longitudinal direction with respect to the hull 14.The cable and winch component being conventional, have not been shown.

To move the dredge forwardly by means of the spuds involves a verysimple sequence. Firstly, the spuds are withdrawn upwardly and are movedby means of the winch to the furthest forward position, following whichthe spuds are extended downwardly by utilizing the cylinder(s) 88. Thedownward extension of the spuds will drive the spuds into the ground atthe bottom of the channel, and give them purchase. Then the winch isutilized to move the hull forwardly with respect to the spuds, until thespuds are located at the furthest rearward position. The spuds are thenwithdrawn and move .forwardly again to the furthest forward position.The

cycle is then repeated.

It will be appreciated that the hopper 46 should extend over areasonable area beneath the dumping bucket 34, so that it is enabled tocatch the mud, silt, etc. from the bucket regardless of the adjustedposition of the frame 29.

If desired, a shredder could be mounted above the hopper to eliminateany clogging of the blower 48 by weeds, roots, etc. No shredderprovision has been shown in FIG. 1.

In place of the spuds shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, it would also be possibleto provide traction units on either side of the hull, which units wouldbe particularly useful in bog-type marsh areas where the hull 14 couldnot float and manoeuvre. Preferably, the traction units at either sideof the hull 14 have provisions for raising and lowering by means ofhydraulic cylinders, and ideally the gripping portion of each trackwould extend substantially the entire length of the hull 14.

I claim:

1. A mud excavator, comprising: a floatable hull; a conveyor frame; anarm mounted on each side of said hull inclined upwardly and rearwardly,each of said arms including a portion at each end thereof projecting toa point clear of said hull and supporting said conveyor frame forlengthwise adjustment thereof relative to said arms and hull; a cylinderpivotally mounted upon one projecting portion of each of said arms; apiston rod extending from each cylinder; means pivotally connecting oneend of each piston rod to said conveyor frame for effecting saidlengthwise adjustment thereof; an endless conveyor on said frame havingscoops for excavating purposes; means connected with said endlessconveyor for driving the same; a hopper mounted upon said hull in aposition to receive material discharged from said conveyor scoops; arotary mud slinger communicating with the lower portion of said hopperand having a discharge pipe; and drive means connected with said mudslinger.

2. A mud excavator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the discharge pipe isinclined and curved to direct the material laterally for deposit asubstantial distance from the hull.

3. A mud excavator as claimed in claim 1, including an auger in thelower portion of said hopper for feeding material to the mud slinger.

4. A mud excavator as claimed in claim 3, including means connected todrive said mud slinger and auger, respectively.

5. A mud excavator as claimed in claim 1, including means mounted uponthe opposite sides of the hull for maneuvering the hull into any desiredposition relative to the area to be excavated.

6. A mud excavator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the means formaneuvering the hull comprises rails extending lengthwise on the sidesof the hull; a movable frame having rollers mounted upon said rails andincluding an upright hollow member; a spud slidably mounted in saidhollow member; and means between said spud and said hollow member forraising and lowering the spud relative to the hull.

1. A mud excavator, comprising: a floatable hull; a conveyor frame; anarm mounted on each side of said hull inclined upwardly and rearwardly,each of said arms including a portion at each end thereof projecting toa point clear of said hull and supporting said conveyor frame forlengthwise adjustment thereof relative to said arms and hull; a cylinderpivotally mounted upon one projecting portion of each of said arms; apiston rod extending from each cylinder; means pivotally connecting oneend of each piston rod to said conveyor frame for effecting saidlengthwise adjustment thereof; an endless conveyor on said frame havingscoops for excavating purposes; means connected with said endlessconveyor for driving the same; a hopper mounted upon said hull in aposition to receive material discharged from said conveyor scoops; arotary mud slinger communicating with the lower portion of said hopperand having a discharge pipe; and drive means connected with said mudslinger.
 2. A mud excavator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dischargepipe is inclined and curved to direct the material laterally for deposita substantial distance from the hull.
 3. A mud excavator as claimed inclaim 1, including an auger in the lower portion of said hopper forfeeding material to the mud slinger.
 4. A mud excavator as claimed inclaim 3, including means connected to drive said mud slinger and auger,respectively.
 5. A mud excavator as claimed in claim 1, including meansmounted upon the opposite sides of the hull for maneuvering the hullinto any desired position relative to the area to be excavated.
 6. A mudexcavator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the means for maneuvering thehull comprises rails extending lengthwise on the sides of the hull; amovable frame having rollers mounted upon said rails and including anupright hollow member; a spud slidably mounted in said hollow member;and means between said spud and said hollow member for raising andlowering the spud relative to the hull.